00:04 I like California or I went to Wisconsin. I love Wisconsin. Wisconsin was pretty nice. I didn’t know they made the cranberry. I didn’t know cranberry come from there. So, you know, I got a little history here when I got there with my Uber driver. Just—

00:18 Got a little course of cheese.

00:21 Oh, yeah. Welcome to Six-Figure Trucker, the podcast where we share advice on how to be successful in trucking and have fun while doing so. We’ll share stories, news, and advice on how to earn six figures in trucking. And we’ll speak to guys and gals that are already doing so. Let’s get to the show. Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Now, those of you who have listened in on our podcast, you know, it is a venue where we elevate and celebrate the drivers. Sometimes they’re not always seen in a favorable light, but that’s not the case here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. We like to hold them up and hear some stories about their time on the road, their life on the road, off the road, what they go through, how they plan, how they schedule, the whole bottle of wax. And we’ve got a great guest with us tonight, Mr. Daniel James. Daniel, how are you?

01:20 I’m great. How about yourself?

01:21 I can’t complain, man. You know, I’ll tell you one story that I heard once about complaining. I was working out at the gym. This was probably 15 years ago. And I’m walking out of the gym. Yeah. A long time ago, walking out of the gym and this guy says to me, an elderly gentleman, he was probably 80 years old. He said, “How you doing?” I said, “I can’t complain.” He said, “Boy, let me tell you something about complaining. Half the people say you probably had it coming and the other half don’t care.”

01:51 So yeah, that pretty much puts it in perspective. But tell us what you’re doing this evening. Where are you joining us from Daniel?

01:58 Right now I’m driving. I just left the mall.

02:01 Okay. Now for those of you I can vouch for Daniel. He’s got his headsets on or his earpiece in. I know he’s driving safely because before we hit the record button, he told me he had to do that. So, you’re not on a load now or are you on a load with some downtime?

02:17 No, I’m not on a load now. I got one but I supposed to leave out today but I had slight difficulty so I came back in and I’ll be leaving out tomorrow.

02:26 I got you. So, so you’re down in South Florida now. Is that right?

02:29 I was. I’m back in Atlanta now.

02:32 Okay. So, you did finally catch a flight out of there.

02:35 Yes.

02:35 Tell us about the flight difficulties you ran into.

02:38 Well, they cancel they cancelled my flight because they said they had a flight delay. I mean bad weather appear in Atlanta. I booked a front tail trip, round trip for my birthday and I don’t know why I did it but well front is just not one of my aine I normally just trust before I—

02:54 Gotcha. So you had to spend an extra day in Miami. Is that right?

02:59 Yes, I did.

03:00 What’d you do in your downtime there?

03:02 Walked around the beach in Miami.

03:06 Did you see any good-looking girls down there? Of course—

03:10 There are some beautiful people in Miami there. Now, Daniel, are you a single man, married man?

03:17 I’m single.

03:18 So, you could you know, look no penalty, no harm at the beautiful women down there. Did you get a chance to talk to any of them?

03:26 No, I just that just relax.

03:28 I got you. Just taking all the scenery in natural and otherwise. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha.

03:34 Now, what were you taking down to Miami? What was your load down to Miami?

03:38 No, I didn’t take a load to Miami. I went there on a vacation. My birthday just passed on Tuesday.

03:44 Oh, okay. Okay.

03:45 Tuesday. Friday. Friday. My birthday passed Friday. So, I just went out for vacation.

03:50 I got you. I didn’t hear you. It was kind of breaking up a little bit there. So, you went down for vacation. How long were you down there?

03:56 Well, like four days. Might as well say five now. It was five days.

04:00 I got you.

04:01 Supposed to been four days, but five.

04:04 I got you. So, let’s back up just a minute. For your birthday, how many years have you got on the planet there?

04:11 45.

04:12 45.

04:14 Yeah.

04:14 All right. Well, happy birthday to you, man. Did you do anything? Did you do anything special while you were down there?

04:20 No, I didn’t do anything. I just relax at the beach most of the time.

04:23 Just chilling at the beach a little bit.

04:25 Yeah. Yeah.

04:27 Miami is such a cool city. I mean, I’ve been down there a few times. It’s lot of stuff to do in Miami. I did take a cruise ride. So, let me take that back. I did take like a I guess where the celebrity houses would be at just like a tour of the city.

04:42 Okay.

04:43 So, I did take that over on the boat. So, that was pretty neat.

04:46 Cool. Cool. Cool. Now, did you go down solo or did you have some friends with you or what?

04:51 I had some friends with me.

04:53 Good times. Good times.

04:55 Yes.

04:56 Now, but now it’s back to reality and back to work.

04:58 Yes.

04:59 So, what’s your next load up? What do you got on the calendar there?

05:03 I’m picking up in Ringgold and I’m going to Fort Worth, Texas.

05:08 Okay. Are you picking up at Premier Truck Group?

05:11 Yes.

05:12 Okay. Going to Fort Worth. You got a single heading that way?

05:16 Yes.

05:16 Gotcha.

05:17 Yes.

05:17 Now, that’s a good run right there. I mean, a popular run. We put those on the board and they go fast. They go fast. What makes that run attractive to you? Well, I have friends in the Texas area. So, every time I go out there, I visit. I like to visit my friends.

05:36 Well, I guess you got transportation, too, if they’re in the Dallas Fort Worth area. You’re like, “Hey, I’m coming in. I need a ride out.”

05:41 Yes, I do.

05:43 How important is that to have friends in a lot of different places that can help you out on the transportation side?

05:50 It’s always great, especially like when you doing the job like we doing now, transported, is always great to have friends in other places. I’ve been looking at like a paid vacation.

06:00 A paid vacation.

06:01 Yeah.

06:03 Now you live in the greater Atlanta area. Is that right?

06:07 Yes.

06:08 Where do you live in Atlanta there?

06:10 I stay in Forest Park, but I’m right down like the borderline. Atlanta, Clayton County.

06:16 That’s the booming part. That part’s growing a lot. I mean, all of Atlanta’s growing, but—

06:22 Down where you are is certainly growing. Now, are you a Braves fan by chance? Of course. Of course. Brad Falcon House and Alabama Princ.

06:34 Gotcha. Now, no comment there. How about the Braves? I mean, right now when we’re talking to Daniel James here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport, we just passed the All-Star game. Actually, it was last night that we had the Allstar game. And you had just said that you’re a big Braves fan. How about the season they’ve put together so far?

07:03 Oh, yes. I’m loving it right now. I’m enjoying it.

07:06 Now, who are your favorite players on the team right now this year?

07:09 I like Auno. I pretty much I don’t really have a favorite since Freddy left—

07:15 Right?

07:15 But I just enjoy playing with everybody cuz they all playing great ball.

07:19 They certainly are. They certainly—

07:21 They all playing great ball and I just like to see that how they compete. They go out and compete.

07:26 Gotcha.

07:26 Any given day, I pretty much don’t have no favorite player. I just like all of them.

07:31 Gotcha. Like the whole team.

07:32 Long day on the whole team. Yes.

07:34 Now, let’s see. That run from Ringgold to Fort Worth. What is that in miles and in time? How long will it take you to get there? I—

07:42 Think it’s like 800. I can’t remember the mile, but I know it’s a little over 800, but it take about 12 13 hours, something like that. So you’ll have to break that up into two days.

07:54 Yes. Yes. Of course.

07:56 Yep. Because you got your reset, your daily reset there.

08:01 Yes.

08:01 When you talk about your daily reset and you’ve been out on the road, how crucial is it to you? Obviously, it’s you know the law, but how crucial is it to you for your overall sense of being physically, mentally, maybe emotionally? I mean, when you’re driving for so long, how much does that reset help you? It helps out a lot because you know you get continued your eyes get fatigued and you just need that break you know to get you back and just regroup.

08:30 Now do you take your re are you a guy that drives in the day early morning afternoon evening or do you drive overnight? How do you do your driving?

08:38 I mess it up sometime. I just try to get a good plan and how I want to do it. I approach each run kind of different. I don’t know why I do it like that, but I just look at it and I figure go like how my body feel at that time. If it feel good in the morning time, I sit up in the morning time. If I feel good at night, I drive over night. It just depends on my body will get me motivated.

09:03 I got you. So, if you feel good, you feel energetic, ready to go, then it’s time to go.

09:09 Yes.

09:10 Now, you’ve already laid out your plan. When will you be in Ringgold? Tomorrow, what time?

09:17 Probably like 3:00 in the evening, I believe.

09:21 And then you’ll drive to about—

09:23 Probably drive like seven or eight—

09:26 I guess. Will you go to Memphis?

09:27 Yeah, probably. So—

09:29 Shoot over to Memphis.

09:30 Yeah. Mhm. I’ll drive like four hours and then take a break.

09:34 I’ll do my 10our recess, then take off again. It depend on what time it got me getting there. But I’mma plan it first.

09:40 Gotcha. So, you’ll deliver on Friday in Fort Worth. Yeah.

09:45 Gotcha. That’s a pretty big dealership there that you’re going to.

09:49 Yes. I think I’ve been there before. I got a little bit. See? I mean—

09:53 Yeah, but I think I pretty much have been there before.

09:56 What’s it like delivering to dealerships? I mean you guys delivered all kinds of different places. I mean, what’s the I mean, what do you hope for when you go when you drop a truck? I mean, what kind of people you looking for? What kind of reception are you looking for? I pretty much I just like someone with good customer service, someone who just welcome you, be happy that you took care of their ride, your vehicle as you bring it in.

10:19 And what do you do to assure them that you’ve done that?

10:23 Pretty much, you know, I take try to take pictures. I grade I go with my knowledge. They’ll see how much you, you know, they’ll say how much Becky took care of the vehicle—

10:36 Right? Keep keeping it clean and that kind of stuff.

10:40 Yes. Yes.

10:41 Now, what happens after Fort Worth? You’re hanging out with some friends?

10:44 Yeah, I got a buddy. Yeah, hang out for a day. I go out pretty regular, man. So, like I pretty much stay there now.

10:54 Gotcha. Now, what’s Dallas like as far as socially speaking?

11:01 Socially, it pretty much everybody seem like they to theelves really. I don’t know. I just different area you get different vibes. Right. In your travels across the country, all I mean in all cities, all places, where you where do you get the best vibes?

11:20 I like California or I went to Wisconsin. I love Wisconsin. Wisconsin was pretty nice.

11:28 Good people there.

11:28 I like good people.

11:30 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Wisconsin. I like Wisconsin. Was there anything special about Wisconsin that made it go? I—

11:39 I didn’t really I didn’t know they made the cranberry. I didn’t know cranberry come from there. So, you know, I got a little history there when I got there with my Uber driver. Just—

11:49 Gotcha.

11:49 Little course of cheese.

11:51 Oh, yeah. Did you have some cheese while you were there?

11:55 No, I did not. I did not.

11:57 Okay.

11:57 I didn’t take the time just to stay like I wanted to, but in the future, I told the guys I’ll be back. Anybody be welcome to show me around? So, I’m looking forward to it.

12:08 Looking forward to another load that way.

12:10 Yes.

12:10 Now, what about the opposite of that question? Where did you get some negative vibes, some kind of downer vibes as far as places and locations?

12:20 I really haven’t really stirred nothing too bad, right? Right about none because I’m a people person. So, I just everywhere I go, I be welcome. I feel welcome in most places. I just and of course, you know, I just only I can’t say right now.

12:35 I guess. Are you one of those guys that believes you get what you give I mean, you give somebody—

12:41 You give somebody a good time, you’re going to get a good time back. If you’re nice—

12:45 Of course.

12:45 Yep. What? Yeah, absolutely. I totally can get behind that. You’re listening to Daniel James here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Daniel, how long have you been with us? I want to say 2019, I believe.

13:02 Okay. So, you’ve been with us for a while.

13:04 Yes.

13:05 Now, you don’t have to name the company, but did you work in driveaway before you came to Norton Tra?

13:11 Yes. Yeah. I started with a couple of them and I’m right now just on the record with Norton right now.

13:19 Well, we’re proud to hear that. Happy to hear that. Now not naming the company, but you can lay out some of the differences our company has versus the one you came from. What are some of the differences you see?

13:33 But well, it was pay, but everything changing up now, but knowing that, you know, we was able to talk to you. You have a, you know, your dispatch oneonone. I it’s pretty much all the same to me, but they just run different. But nor they make sure they try to make sure you get home, you know, they help you out with them travel and things like that.

13:58 I got you. Now, do you since you’ve been with us for I guess we’re looking at four years here in that time frame, have you been able to take advantage of some of the incentives we offer to our drivers as far as on-time percentage and that kind of thing? No, I haven’t really because I got a full-time job that I actually do here in Atlanta. I deliver for the board and dairy. So, you know, I pretty much just plan my drive on my schedule, my run like off my work time off.

14:32 Okay. So, you so you’ve got a 40hour job there in the Atlanta area—

14:37 And you just squeeze in what do you squeeze in a run once a week or something like that? Like the weekend like say I deliver milk and I just deliver to school. So I only be off during the like the summer time also like summer like school drive bus drivers you say. So whenever I’m off work I take a run.

14:57 I got—

14:57 I might do like one two weekend a week something like that. I got you. Now, what’s it like your normal or your standard job, your regular job, your 40hour a week job versus your driveaway job? How do those two compare?

15:14 Well, my normal job I got the same customer I deliver to which I got a tattoo for the past 10 years. So, but the driveaway I’m pushing more to doing it full time. It’s like any given time I’m about to leave my 40hour drive just to do driveaway full time.

15:35 Gotcha. What are the benefits? I mean, what’s attractive about making you think seriously about leaving the 40hour job and going to driveaway full-time? What motivates you in that regard?

15:48 Of course, the money. The money, of course. And the way you get paid like you can get paid daily with the driveaway job compared to waiting a weekly check every two week check.

16:02 Yeah. You do the run, you get paid. That’s the way it works here at NOR.

16:06 Exactly.

16:08 And a lot of drivers are very happy about that as fast as we turn around the pay. I mean once the truck’s signed in, delivered, paperwork’s done, you’re paid.

16:19 Yeah, of course. Yep. And what kind of freedom does that give you to have that money as soon as you make a delivery?

16:29 Get your money, financial freedom. Of course, if you have a bill that’s due that day, you actually can go get a run and say, I can make this money and it helps pay it off. So, I give you a lot of financial freedom.

16:44 Gotcha. Now, what do you see yourself? You just turned 45. 45 years young. How do you see your life playing out as far as it relates to driveaway, let’s say, in the next five years?

16:57 Yeah, that’s a good question. I see right now that the driveaway putting me in shape to start my own business and trucking company cuz I also been looking to get my own truck.

17:10 So I’m kind of piecing it together. If you deliver milk now, that’s a CDL truck that you’re delivering in.

17:17 Yes.

17:17 Okay. So, how long have you had your CDLs? I—

17:20 Had my B’s first. I had that about 28. I want to say 2008. I got my class D and I got my Class A like eight years ago. Seven years ago.

17:31 So, you’re a veteran driver. You’ve been driving for a long time. Let’s see. 2008, that’s 15 years there. And—

17:38 I’ve been driving mostly Class B trucks, though.

17:40 I got you. Gotcha. Now, you said you wanted to start your own trucking company. Is this something you’ve been kicking around for a while? Yes, that’s something I’ve been there too.

17:48 How do you see that forming?

17:50 Well, I got family. I got family, bunch of family. They drive trucks also. So, it just like a family thing. We’ve all been discussing.

17:57 How many trucks would you have with this company?

18:00 I say maybe like five. Nothing that’s too big.

18:03 Just enough to keep it rolling daily.

18:06 Yes. Yes.

18:08 Now, what do you see as the challenges of starting up a trucking company your own? Let’s say if five is the max number of trucks you have in 2023, state of the economy where it is now. What would be your biggest challenge? Would it be coming up with the capital to make the investment or the cash flow or what would be the biggest challenge coming out?

18:33 Yes, right now coming up with the capital since everything rational went up now. I know everything on sky high. So pretty much coming up with the capital. Is this something you’re willing to ride out and see what happens in the next 5 years or whatever time frame?

18:49 Yes.

18:51 Now, obviously, if you want to start your own trucking company, is this would it be safe to say that trucking is in your blood?

18:59 Yes, I can say that. My dad drove a truck. I got a couple uncles, they drive. Few of my cousin, they drive. So, it’s in that it’s in the blood.

19:12 What about it is so appealing to you? What things about it?

19:18 I didn’t really see myself getting a two trucking like this. It just seemed like it just baited into me and I just stuck with it.

19:27 Just fell into place.

19:29 Yes.

19:30 What’s been the most rewarding part of being a driver over the last 15 years? Well, being able to take care of your family, of course. The money in it.

19:41 Gotcha. Now, do you have any children? No.

19:43 Yes.

19:44 Gotcha. And I’m sure that working in driveaway and also in the milk delivery business certainly helps you to take care of your children.

19:52 Yes.

19:52 Now, you said once you get to Texas, you’ll be back in Atlanta shortly after.

20:00 Yeah, I’ll be there Saturday.

20:02 Okay. Now, do you have a game plan for next week already or you will it be back to the load board?

20:08 Yes, it’ll be back to the load board. Of course, Friday I dropped the load off. I’ll be trying to plan for next week.

20:15 I got you. Now, with your situation having that 9 toive job, so to speak, delivering milk. What loads do you look for in your off time? I mean, do you have parameters that you put around it? Say, I can go here, but I can’t go here.

20:30 Yes. I mean what are you looking for?

20:34 Pretty much my drive time be limit just because I drive a CDL truck. So it leave me with probably pretty much like 12 hours to drive. So I look for something that I could do in a day that take weekend delivery or like my time off. Now I’m laid off my job now because school out, but I go back another two weeks. So I pretty much run hard the whole summer. I gotcha. So, you’ve been staying you’ve been kicking it this summer.

21:04 Yes.

21:05 Gotcha. Now, as far as locations, I’m assuming I mean when you got to essentially run short runs, you want to pick up in Georgia?

21:14 Yes.

21:15 Is that is there enough loads coming out of Georgia to support how you want to do it?

21:22 Not lately. It hasn’t been, but when I first started out, it was. But sometime if I’m able to go to a load and they get me there at a good time where I can drive back all these stat I do it also people is coming back to a Georgia area.

21:36 Do you ever take any nonCDL trucks just to fill the gaps?

21:40 Yes, I do take non CDL trucks. I drive anything if I’m able to drive it.

21:45 Gotcha. Gotcha. Speaking of driving anything, what’s the I guess most comfortable roadw worthy truck you’ve been in as far as a brand and a time frame? What’s been the best truck you’ve been in?

22:00 I like the Peterbilt and also like the one pick it up at Ringgold, the Cascadia.

22:06 Yeah, the Freight.

22:09 We hear that a lot from a lot of drivers. They like the Cascadias.

22:13 Yes. About those two trucks. What sets them apart? The Peterbilt and the Cascadia. What sets them apart from the rest of the trucks?

22:22 Peterbilt like a Cadillac, like an electric car truck.

22:26 Just the way it rides.

22:28 Yes. Okay. You can’t go wrong with a Freightliner.

22:32 Gotcha. Now, you were talking about in within five years, you hope to open up your own trucking company. Will it all be a familyrun business? All family or do you see it extending out beyond that?

22:46 It don’t start off as a family thing, but it is depending on how things go.

22:52 Now, I wanted to kind of circle back something you’d mentioned earlier about one of the things that separates Norton from the other company you’d worked for was is the dispatch.

23:01 Now, tell us about your dispatch team.

23:04 I love my dispatch. I think I put them up like one of the first driver few drivers he had. So, we pretty much work with each other. It’s like I help her out. She helped me out along the way.

23:18 It’s a two-way street.

23:22 Yes. Yes. You know—

23:25 Now real good.

23:27 How do you develop that level of communication? I mean, is how do you guys build your relationship?

23:34 Everything about trust and you know, I just tell the things I like. You know, some things I don’t like.

23:41 And she tries to work with you.

23:43 Yes.

23:44 And I guess location, too. Where you want to go—

23:47 When you going to get there, when you going to get back, all those are components of building that relationship.

23:53 Of course.

23:54 Gotcha.

23:54 And you got to be patient. You got to have patient also. So, you know, you got to dispatch. You know, they got other driver who they have to deal with other me or another person. So, you got to be patient with them because I’m pretty sure they phone ring out the hook. M now you know that’s a term that a word that’s been brought up before with some of our other guests here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. You’re listening to Daniel James. Now you talk about patience. Is that something that you have a lot of?

24:24 You got to of course over the road cuz you can be in some bad predicament. You don’t have patience and I guess driving over the road with any driveaway company won’t be good for you. I mean, what good does it do to blow a gasket? I mean, mentally speaking.

24:41 Exactly.

24:41 I mean, it’s not going to help you in the end.

24:44 Exactly.

24:45 Gotcha. Not to not to name the company, but did you have less than favorable relationships with the dispatch team you worked with when you worked with another company?

24:57 Of course. That’s why I’m not driving with them anymore. Well, we like to have good relationships with our drivers. Obviously, it’s something we feel is a key component of our operation here and our dispatchers do a really good job with that. Anything you want to say to the dispatch team?

25:20 I said keep up the good work. I seen a lot of new changes. I was happy since I started, but y’all doing a great job. Just keep up the good work.

25:28 Well, we are certainly proud and pleased with what you’re doing for us, Daniel. And you’re listening, you’ve listened to Daniel James here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Daniel’s going to wrap it up here this evening. Any pieces of advice for people who may be considering driveaway?

25:45 Just if you want to do it, be safe. Try it out. If you don’t like it, oh well. But just give it a try. Be patient. Enjoy yourself. Make us look at as a paid vacation. Anything you want to do.

26:00 There you have it. Daniel James here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. It’s a paid vacation in his words. Words you can take home.

26:11 Well, Daniel, thank you very much for joining us. Glad you had a good time on your birthday down in Miami. And you got to make sure—

26:18 Short run out to Texas to hang out with some friends. Sounds like life is pretty good.

26:23 That’s right.

26:24 Thank you very much, Daniel.

26:26 All right. Thank you. Six-Figure Trucker is brought to you by Norton Transport. Norton Transport is a driveaway trucking company that customers can rely on. It offers excellent independent contract driving opportunities to professional, courteous, and qualified drivers that can provide the kind of service we deliver. If you’re interested in learning more about Norton or just want to subscribe to the show, check out Six-FigureTrucker.com. That’s Six-FigureTrucker.com.